Beyond the Forest
by Pantherstar
Summary: This story is going to be discontinued. Feel free to read the chapters that are up anyway.
1. Allegiances

**J U N G L E C L A N S **

**StormClan**

**Leader** Rabbitstar- beautiful she-cat with a dappled brown pelt

**Deputy** Charredfur- dark gray tabby tom

**Medicine Cat** Shimmerpelt- tabby she-cat with a shiny black pelt

**Warriors** Lightningfoot- golden brown tom

**Apprentice, Falconpaw**

Raincloud- gray she-cat with white patches

Swamptail- tom with muddy brown fur

**Apprentice, Quickpaw**

Lionface- long haired pale gold she-cat

Emeraldeye- skinny tortoiseshell tom with bright green eyes

**Apprentice, Icepaw**

Wolfheart- muscular gray tom with yellow eyes

**Apprentices** Quickpaw- fast ginger tom

Falconpaw- small light brown she-cat with darker brown stripes

Icepaw- white tabby tom with pale blue eyes

**Queens** Foxleaf- ginger tabby she-cat

**CloudClan**

**Leader** Phantomstar- tabby tom with long silver fur

**Deputy** Lilytail- light brown she-cat with a long tail

**Medicine Cat** Bearheart- fierce black tom

**Apprentice, Dragonpaw**

**Warriors** Fleckfur- brown she-cat dappled in black

Vulturepelt- dark brown tom with a ragged pelt

Thundertail- golden brown tom with a fluffy tail

Greenleaf- earthy brown she-cat

**Apprentices** Dragonpaw- white tabby tom with long claws

**Queens** Redflower- dark ginger she-cat

**MistClan**

**Leader** Pantherstar- black tabby she-cat with sapphire blue eyes and white stripes

**Deputy** Coldpool- blue-gray tabby she-cat

**Medicine Cat** Sunheart- black tom with a golden chest

**Apprentice, Starpaw**

**Warriors** Badgerclaw- white tom with one black stripe and long claws

**Apprentice, Boulderpaw**

Shadowpelt- black she-cat

Snakefang- brown tabby tom with unusually long teeth

Scorchedtail- ginger tom with a gray tail

**Apprentices** Starpaw- small gray she-cat with white paws

Boulderpaw- dark brown tom

**Queens** Fishfoot- silver tabby she-cat with thin sheets of skin between her toes, very good swimmer

**Elders** Sapfur- golden tom

**SkyClan**

**Leader** Owlstar- tawny brown tom with black and white spots

**Deputy** Mosspelt- sleek dark brown tom

**Medicine Cat** Marshfur- tortoiseshell she-cat

**Warriors** Skunkstripe- black and white tabby tom

**Apprentice, Riverpaw**

Stormtail- pretty light brown she-cat with a gray tail

Eagletalon- dark brown tom with a white face and long claws

**Apprentice, Streampaw**

Moonflower- white she-cat with light blue eyes

Nightflower- jet black she-cat with unusual orange eyes

**Apprentices** Streampaw- silver tabby she-cat

Riverpaw- gray tabby tom

**Queens** Lichencloud- light brown she-cat

**F O R E S T C L A N S**

**ThunderClan**

**Leader** Ripplestar- blue-gray she-cat

**Deputy** Weedwhisker- skinny light brown tom

**Medicine Cat** Mapleleaf- ginger she-cat with patches of white

**Warriors** Spiritfur- white tom with pure white eyes

Sparrowfeather- tortoiseshell she-cat

**Apprentice, Hailpaw**

Weaselpelt- black tom

**Apprentice, Duskpaw**

Ringtail- gray she-cat with black stripes

**Apprentice, Woodpaw**

Ocelot- golden tom with black flecks, formerly a rogue

**Apprentices** Hailpaw- white tom with yellow eyes

Duskpaw- dark gray tabby she-cat

Woodpaw- brown tom with white chest and paws

**Queens** Cricketchirp- tan she-cat

Pansypetal- golden she-cat with white flecks

**Elders** Crackedtooth- calico tom with broken teeth

Oneear- brown tom with black stripes and a shredded ear

**ShadowClan**

**Leader** Shreddedstar- scarred pale gray tom

**Deputy** Batfang- black tabby she-cat

**Medicine Cat** Cheetahsky- blue-gray tom with black spots

**Warriors** Dampfur- dark gray she-cat

Stripedpelt- white tom with brown stripes

**Apprentice, Palmpaw**

Lizardscale- silver she-cat with brown, white, and gray patches

Craneleg- long-legged pale gold she-cat

**Apprentice, Creampaw**

Stifftail- long haired tan tom

Treetrunk- brown she-cat

**Apprentices** Palmpaw- dark brown, almost black, tom

Creampaw- yellow and white she-cat

**Queens** Tinfur- silver she-cat

**Elders** Slippingthought- old gray tom, suffering from memory loss

**RiverClan**

**Leader** Lithestar- slim black she-cat with unusual violet eyes

**Deputy** Fierceheart- ragged white tom

**Medicine Cat** Chilledstream- sand colored she-cat

**Warriors** Ambereye- golden tom with amber eyes

**Apprentice, Juniperpaw**

Cattail- ginger she-cat

Dirtpelt- dark brown tom

**Apprentice, Brownpaw**

Songflower- silver she-cat

Risingsun- gold and ginger she-cat

**Apprentice, Wingpaw**

**Apprentices** Juniperpaw- tortoiseshell tom

Brownpaw- brown tom

Wingpaw- small white she-cat

**Elders** Frogthroat- light brown tom with a very hoarse voice

**WindClan**

**Leader** Smokestar- dark gray tom

**Deputy** Dewdrop- silver she-cat with a shimmering pelt

**Medicine Cat** Grasspelt- pale brown tom

**Warriors** Lavaflow- dark ginger tom

Ridgeclaw- brown tom

Bonefoot- black tom with white paws

**Apprentice, Cloakedpaw**

Softpool- pale gray she-cat

Copperfur- ginger tom with brown flecks

**Apprentice, Padpaw**

Mountainpelt- brown and white she-cat

**Apprentices** Cloakedpaw- black she-cat with dark gray paws and chest

Padpaw- pale yellow tom

**Queens** Crescentmoon- black she-cat with patches of white

Branchleg- brown she-cat with gold dashes on sides


	2. Prologue

-Prologue-

_Mist surrounded the quiet jungle of the four clans. These weren't ordinary clan cats, but jungle cats, much bigger, stronger, and fiercer. They had to be in order to protect themselves from not Twolegs, but leopards, crocodiles, snakes, and other dangers lurking in the jungle. Not many cats were built for this kind of life, but some were well adapted, and knew many tricks that could protect them. These cats made up four clans, who were all completely different from each other. MistClan was specially suited for finding their way through the mist in the jungle, using it to mask their scents and hide themselves from predators, prey, and other cats. StormClan was built for navigating through storms, unbothered by the constant rain and occasional thunderstorm that occurred in the jungle. CloudClan was best at being quiet, their paws almost noiseless and their movement perfectly camouflaged. Last was SkyClan, who specialized in climbing the tall trees that made up the jungle. Each clan was a whole separate life, completely different groups. These clans were unaware that far away resided the four forest clans…until much, much later._

_-------------------------------------------------Sky------------------------------------------------------ _

"_Nightflower, are you sure this is a good idea?" In the dead of night, black and white fur clashed as two cats trekked through the humid jungle. Two ice blue eyes shone with anxious worry as the white she-cat broke the silence. A few fruit bats fluttered from their perches, beginning their search for food. Another pair of eyes, a shocking orange color, narrowed in defiance. "Of course I'm sure, Moonflower," the black cat hissed quietly. Then Nightflower spoke again, this time more gently. "Silly furball, sometimes I wonder how we became friends. Anyway, we should be there soon. Isn't the Abandoned Tiger Roost where Ferretclaw said it was?" _

_Moonflower looked annoyed. "I don't know, you should remember, you had the dream too." The two cats fell silent again. _

_------------------------------------------------Storm----------------------------------------------------_

_On the other side of the jungle, a pale gold she-cat bounded ahead of her companion, who was panting heavily. "Stop Lionface, I need a rest," the gray tom protested, "I'm not as young as you are, you're lucky you just became a warrior yesterday." _

_Lionface doubled back to wait for her Clanmate. "Oh, stop complaining like an elder, Wolfheart. You can't do that until you are one." _

_Wolfheart managed a smile, his yellow eyes glowing with warmth. "I wish I had been a long time ago. Then I'd still have my energy and youth since it wouldn't have been wasted on mentoring you." _

_Lionface looked hurt. "Wasted? You aren't proud to have mentored the greatest warrior of all time?" _

_Wolfheart's smile widened into a grin. "So you still have that ambition? Well good luck with it then." Wolfheart grunted and heaved himself to his feet. "Well, we better get going then. _

_------------------------------------------------Mist------------------------------------------------------_

_A silver she-cat scanned the area across the river. "I don't see anything dangerous," she whispered to the brown tabby tom standing at her side. _

"_Come on, let's cross then," he said just as quietly. He was about to step into the rushing water when the silver cat held him back with one of her oddly webbed paws. "What?" he said, whirling around, "Fishfoot, don't tell me you forgot to check for crocodiles again!" _

_Fishfoot shook her head. "Snakefang, I can't swim right now, remember? Our kits…" Fishfoot broke off of her sentence, seeing there was no need to finish. _

_Snakefang stood there for another moment before giving Fishfoot's shoulder a quick lick. "Of course, I completely forgot. We'll have to use the Fallen Tree." The two cats walked farther along the riverbank._

_------------------------------------------------Cloud----------------------------------------------------_

_A fluffy tail stuck just above a tall fern plant, and a golden brown body leapt over the top leaves. The next cat, a ragged dark brown, trampled them into the ground as he carelessly walked up and sat down beside the golden tom. "Vulturepelt, be more respectful toward nature," the gold cat hissed. _

_Vulturepelt just snorted in contempt and kicked a tree trunk with his hind paw, as if disagreeing. "Thundertail, nature doesn't worry about us, so why should we worry about it?" _

_Thundertail just curled his lip. He'd never agreed with taking the rogue into the clan. _Hurt paw, _he thought, _yeah right. _Vulturepelt scrambled up onto a boulder. "Hey, there it is," he said, gesturing with a claw. Without another word, the two cats bounded to the bottom of a tall tree. _


	3. Chapter 1

**-1- **

"Starpaw! Starpaw, come here!"

Starpaw turned at the sound of her name. Her mentor, Sunheart, was waiting impatiently by his den, his tail flicking in annoyance. Starpaw had just been stopping to talk to Boulderpaw, she hadn't meant to stall. She sighed as she padded obediently over to MistClan's medicine cat. It was hard being an apprentice, especially a medicine cat's. She'd wanted to be Sunheart's apprentice ever since she was a newborn kit, but now she wasn't so sure. Sunheart was always scolding her for how clumsy she was, and the smell of herbs made her feel sick. The only thing that comforted her was that she had a talent for seeing messages from StarClan, which Sunheart had told her was very rare for her age.

The black tom nudged Starpaw gently into the den with his nose and followed her in. "What were you doing? You know we shouldn't be wasting training time!" Sunheart lectured.

"I was only pausing to talk to Boulderpaw!" she protested, but Sunheart glared and she held her tongue. Suddenly, the medicine cat's eyes softened, and he purred.

"I'm sorry. It's my first time as a mentor, and I just don't know how hard I should push," he apologized. Starpaw sighed in relief. She'd been sure he was going to start yowling at her again. Sunheart got up and walked toward the mouth of the den. "Come on. Let's go collect some more supplies. We're low on mango, claw vine, bat bile, cobwebs, and traveling herbs." Outside, the camp was alive with activity. Boulderpaw was heading toward Sapfur's den with fresh bedding, Shadowpelt and Badgerclaw were patching the recently breached entrance wall, and Coldpool, MistClan's deputy, was chatting seriously with Pantherstar, the leader.

Pantherstar glanced uncomfortably in Starpaw's direction, and her eyes lit up. "Starpaw, Sunheart, could you come here for a moment?" Starpaw obediently began padding toward her leader and deputy, and Sunheart, pausing at the entrance to the camp, turned and joined them. "Have either of you seen Fishfoot or Snakefang lately? I haven't seen them since yesterday at sunset," Pantherstar asked immediately, "and Fishfoot's a queen, I don't see what reason she'd have to leave the nursery."

Starpaw opened her mouth to say that no, she hadn't seen them, but Sunheart spoke first. "No, now that you mention it, I haven't. She might've gone to the river for a drink, although that doesn't explain where Snakefang is. He's usually with her; he might have gone with her in case something attacked."

Coldpool frowned. "But Snakefang could've just brought her some soaked moss. If they don't show up soon, we'll have to send patrols off to look for them."

Starpaw racked her brain, desperately wanting to be helpful. "They could've just wanted some time to themselves." she suggested, "I mean, they're both kind of…different." It was true. A pawful of cats in each clan was scared of Fishfoot and Snakefang. Fishfoot had a sheet of thin, transparent skin between each of her toes, a lot like the fins on the fish that Starpaw had seen in the river, while Snakefang had unusually long and sharp teeth, hence his name. It was rumored that Fishfoot's father had been a fish, and Snakefang's one of the colorful serpents that inhabited the jungle.

Pantherstar looked only half convinced. "Yes, that must be it," she murmured, and Starpaw caught a flicker of hope in her leader's voice.

"Thanks for your help," Coldpool called to them as they walked back toward the entrance of the camp, this time managing to escape into the thicker part of the jungle. Sunheart looked troubled the entire time they were searching for herbs. Starpaw didn't dare speak to her mentor. She didn't want to disturb his train of thought. She couldn't help wondering where Fishfoot and Snakefang were herself. Snakefang went on patrols a lot, but he was never gone for very long, and there definitely didn't seem to be an explanation for Fishfoot's disappearance. She'd have to talk to Boulderpaw about it and see what he thought.

"Well, we should probably get back to camp," Sunheart finally said, stealing a glance at the setting sun. Starpaw couldn't help but look at it too. Fishfoot and Snakefang had been gone for a full day now. As she followed her mentor back to camp, she kept yawning uncontrollably; she hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. Sunheart immediately noticed this.

"You go get some sleep," he said, nudging her toward the apprentice den as soon as they arrived back at the camp, "we can do some training tomorrow."

Starpaw was perfectly happy to oblige, and she curled up on her bed of moss next to Boulderpaw, tucked her nose under her tail, and closed her eyes, but for some reason she couldn't fall asleep. Her tiredness had melted away into nothing, and now she found herself lying in the apprentices' den wide awake. She could hear Boulderpaw muttering in his sleep, and she nudged him until his eyes sprang open.

"What do you want?" he hissed at her, obviously angry at being woken up in the middle of the night.

"I just wanted to talk," Starpaw said, flicking her tail in annoyance, "about Fishfoot and Snakefang."

Boulderpaw looked exasperated. "Before dawn? Couldn't it wait until tomorrow?"

Starpaw shuffled her paws. "I couldn't sleep," she mumbled.

"Fine, then we'll talk, but only if you promise not to wake me up this late ever again!"

"Fair enough. What do you think happened to them?"

"Well, Fishfoot probably wouldn't want to take any chances in leaving the nursery," Boulderpaw said thoughtfully, "it _is _her first litter. So maybe a tiger or a python or some other predator raided the nursery."

Starpaw didn't like that theory. "I hope not," she murmured. "So then what happened to Snakefang?"

"Maybe he just went on a long hunting patrol," Boulderpaw said lamely.

"For a full day with no other cats?"

"I said it was long."

Starpaw gave up. Boulderpaw didn't seem to be helping much. Soon she could hear his breathing slow; he was evidently asleep again. She hoped Fishfoot hadn't been taken or attacked by one of the many dangerous creatures in the jungle. Wouldn't the Clan have noticed? Besides, there weren't any signs of struggle in the nursery. Before Starpaw could think anything else, she was asleep.


	4. Chapter 2

**-2- **

"Do you think they've noticed we're gone?" Fishfoot asked worriedly.

"I'm sure they have," Snakefang replied, "but we had to come, didn't we? StarClan themselves told us to! We can't refuse. Hey, look, there's the Abandoned Tiger Roost!" Sure enough, just a few tail-lengths away was a large tree. Claw marks caused by the tiger that had lived there many moons ago were scraped all the way down the trunk. Fishfoot dug her claws into the tough wood of the tree and began her climb, struggling a bit with the extra weight of the unborn kits in her belly. When Fishfoot was a few tail-lengths up, Snakefang began his ascent too.

"Why did we have to come here again?" Fishfoot called down to Snakefang in a strained voice.

"StarClan told us we had to come here and climb to the highest, thickest branch, and then they would tell us something important that would change our lives forever or something like that," he grunted back.

"Well I wish they would have just told us," Fishfoot murmured, "I'm not built for climbing like a SkyClan cat, especially with our kits."

It was dawn when Fishfoot finally heaved herself onto the top branch, trying her best not to let her swollen belly bump against the tree. Snakefang appeared a few moments later to find Fishfoot with her claws unsheathed, her back arched, and a look of total hostility in her eyes. "What are you doing here?" she spat at the six cats that were already sitting on the branch. Nightflower, Moonflower, Vulturepelt, Thundertail, Lionface, and Wolfheart glared back at her and Snakefang, who had taken up a fighting stance as well.

"What business do you have here?" snarled Vulturepelt, springing to his paws.

"Actually, StarClan told us to come here," Snakefang replied matter-of-factly.

"But they told us to come here too," mewed Lionface, who looked curious and puzzled rather than angry and hostile.

"Us too," Thundertail meowed, wrapping his tail around one of Vulturepelt's legs to keep him from charging.

"Well, we were here first," Nightflower growled, her flame-colored eyes darting from one cat to the next.

"Did you get a message from StarClan too?" Fishfoot asked, her fur and spine rapidly flattening.

"Yes," meowed Moonflower in a quiet voice, "yes we did. And if we all got the message then I doubt they want us all attacking each other."

"I agree with Moonflower," Wolfheart said. He had been silently watching and listening before. "If StarClan wants us all here, then we should avoid fighting. Anyway, we should give the ones that haven't yet seen the world a chance to live." He blinked respectfully at Fishfoot. "Let's wait for StarClan." Silence blanketed the thick and humid jungle air surrounding the eight cats. Lionface was kneading the ground impatiently while Snakefang rasped his tongue over Fishfoot and Nightflower gazed at the other cats with an untrusting look on her face. Moonflower, Vulturepelt, and Thundertail looked thoroughly bored. None of them could see any sign from StarClan, and they wondered how long it would take for it to arrive.

"I knew we should've left this to Bearheart and Dragonpaw," Vulturepelt grumbled before he was quickly silenced by Thundertail.

Every cat in the Abandoned Tiger Roost had tilted their heads so that they were looking downward at the silver fog crawling up the trunk of the tree. The sparkling cloud rose until it was level with the branch that the cats were standing on, and shimmering cats made of stars began pouring out of the cloud and sitting down just in front of the solid cats. Lionface's mouth moved, but no sound came out. The others didn't attempt to speak, but just stared at the many cat assembled in front of them. Four cats emerged from the glittering, silvery crowd and sat down in front of the rest of StarClan, then slowly introduced themselves.

"I'm Ferretclaw," the nearest tom said. His muzzle was heavily scarred and there was a small nick in his right ear.

An old she-cat stepped forward next. "I am Thrushwing," she meowed, dipping her head politely.

Another shining tom was next. "Thistlefur," he rasped before stepping aside to let a beautiful tortoiseshell she-cat through.

"I'm Spottedleaf of ThunderClan," she mewed, her voice resonating clearly into the ears of the shocked cats.

"What's ThunderClan?" Lionface asked, finally managing to speak.

"That's what we've come to explain to you," Thistlefur murmured, "you're not the only cats who follow the warrior code and listen to StarClan."

"B-but wouldn't we have noticed if there were other Clans?" Snakefang stammered.

Nightflower looked equally suspicious. "Yes, we would've scented them by now."

"They aren't in this jungle," Thrushwing explained as gently as possible, "they live very far from here."

Thundertail's bristling fur flattened. "Then why are you telling us this? Why do these other cats concern us if they aren't anywhere near our territory?"

"Because all eight of you originally came from the four other Clans," Spottedleaf meowed. When nobody spoke, she gave her shoulder a quick lick and continued. "Fishfoot, Moonflower, you originally lived on the small island in the center of another river with RiverClan, and yes Fishfoot, that is why you are such an excellent swimmer. Thundertail, Wolfheart, you once resided in a wind-blown valley chasing rabbits with WindClan. Nightflower, you belong with ShadowClan, stalking prey in the marshes. Lionface, Snakefang, you should be living in a vast forest with ThunderClan, the Clan that I myself used to live in. And Vulturepelt-you were once a rogue, living near Twoleg Place and roaming through all four of the territories."

Nobody said anything for a moment. Then Vulturepelt looked off into the distance.

"I remember," he murmured quietly, "it wasn't that long ago. I didn't like the life of a rogue but still I roamed on my own as a loner. One day I awoke in the talons of an eagle, and after escaping and landing in the highest branches of a tree, I was utterly lost. I came across this jungle, and CloudClan took me in and let me become an apprentice. But I still remember my mother's scent, and I still have fading pictures of the Twoleg place." Lionface looked at him enviously, obviously wishing she could remember her old home.

Ferretclaw noticed her jealousy. "You were a newborn kit then," he told her, "no one would expect you to remember the journey here when you were sleeping in the jaws of Snakefang most the time." Lionface's eyes widened and she turned to stare into the equally large eyes of Snakefang.

"Vulturepelt explained how he got here," Moonflower mewed, "but that doesn't explain how everyone else got here."

Spottedleaf's eyes rested on the confused she-cat. "Many moons ago, when even Wolfheart was only an apprentice, the four forest Clans-ThunderClan, RiverClan, WindClan, and ShadowClan- shared the territories near an immense lake and kept in touch with StarClan using the Moonpool. But that was before the flood. One leafbare, the fragile peace was shattered when it began to rain and continued to for many days, and it wasn't just a few drops; the rain was dropping like heavy stones and showed no signs of ceasing. After a few days, both the river and the lake overflowed. At first this wasn't of any concern: RiverClan moved their camp farther away from the swollen river and none of the water reached the other camps. But it kept on raining, and soon every camp was flooded with the icy water.The Clans had no choice but to leave or face almost certain death. Several young cats had already drowned- or so they thought. Thundertail, Lionface, Fishfoot, Moonflower, Wolfheart, Snakefang, and Nightflower, you were all kits and apprentices then, and you had been foolish enough to think you could help your Clans by searching for a new camp, even though Lionface -or Lionkit, as she was then- could barely walk yet. It didn't take long for Wolfpaw, Snakepaw, Moonkit, Nightkit, Fishkit, Lionkit, and Thunderkit to get themselves lost and cause their Clans to think they had drowned in the flood. Scared and helpless, you went in what you thought was the direction you'd come from and journeyed for a moon until you came upon the jungle. You were surprisingly good at survival on your own considering how young you all were. Wolfpaw and Snakepaw would catch food for themselves and the kits and you all would travel a great distance each day, the apprentices carrying the youngest kits. Of course, all the jungle Clans were happy to welcome kits and apprentices, so you chose your Clans and stayed there, thinking that was where you'd been born."

To show her story was finished, Spottedleaf began washing a paw. A thick silence had surrounded the cats, both live and dead.

Finally, Snakefang spoke."Why are you telling us about our heritage?" he asked hoarsely, still shocked that he couldn't remember such a journey.

Spottedleaf's tongue stopped mid-lick, and she raised her head to address the live cats once more."Because the Clans you originally came from are in grave danger, and are likely to disappear completely without more warriors."


	5. Chapter 3

**-3-**

Lichencloud sighed heavily, thinking of all the activity going on outside the warm nursery. She missed the life of the warrior. Although, she supposed it _had _been her who had started the conversation about kits with her mate, Swamptail, at the last Gathering. The she-cat cringed at the thought of her disobedience to the warrior code. It wasn't her fault that love came at unexpected times. Lichencloud looked up as Riverpaw trotted in with a patch of damp moss clenched in his jaws.

The gray apprentice dropped the moss at her paws. "There's some water for you," he muttered.

Lichencloud felt sympathetic. "Owlstar still has you looking after me?" she asked him.

He narrowed his eyes and nodded, obviously unhappy about his duties. "All I did was eat a few tiny scraps…" he muttered before leaving the bramble nursery.

Lichencloud lapped a few droplets from the moss before settling her head on her paws again. She would have her kits any time now. That would mean she'd be one step closer to joining the warriors again, although she'd still have six long moons to wait after that. Life as a queen was uneventful, just as Lichencloud had feared. At least she got quite a few visitors, although the father himself couldn't come. Lichencloud had wished that Swamptail belonged to SkyClan many times, but that didn't change anything, of course. The bramble entrance rustled, and Lichencloud lifted her head, expecting Riverpaw again, but instead she saw Eagletalon entering, and Lichencloud was surprised to see he looked rather forlorn.

"Nightflower and Moonflower have disappeared," he told her, his voice hollow with sadness.

Lichencloud was immediately alert and attentive. "What? You mean they aren't anywhere in the camp? But they must just be out hunting…"

She was cut off by Eagletalon. "No, they've been gone since moonhigh."

Lichencloud didn't know how to answer. She knew that Eagletalon was Nightflower's mate, so she wasn't surprised he looked so miserable, but what she was really wondering was where Moonflower and Nightflower could have gone.

As if reading her thoughts, Eagletalon continued. "Nobody knows where they are, and Owlstar just organized search parties. I'm going to go help now, just thought you might like to know…" After Eagletalon's voice had trailed off, he left the nursery, his tail swishing nervously as he exited.

Lichencloud found that she had no appetite for the fat rabbit that Eagletalon had left beside her. She was worried about her Clanmates, who happened to be good friends of hers. _But I can't cancel our meeting, _she told herself firmly before shakily getting to her paws and squeezing out of the nursery.

Light brown paws crushed the tall grass and other plants as Lichencloud plowed through it towards the StormClan border. She looked up at the sky, checking the sun's position. It was almost sunhigh. Good, she'd be on time for once. Her pawsteps slowed as she approached the border and sat down on a rock that was right beside the borderline but still in SkyClan territory. Now all she could do was wait. It didn't take long for the tip of a muddy brown tail to make itself visible just above the long stalks of grass on the StormClan side of the border, and then the body of the cat that it was attached to emerged and sat down on his side of the border. "Hello," he said softly, leaning over the border line to swipe his rough tongue over one of her ears.

"Hi," she purred back, doing the same to him in turn. Then she remembered. "Swamptail, have you seen Nightflower or Moonflower? They've been missing since moonhigh."

Swamptail paused a moment to search his memory, then shook his head. "No, and I don't think any of my Clanmates have either," he replied at last.

Lichencloud sighed before sitting up straight again. "Any news from StormClan?" she asked, hoping to take her mind off the missing cats.

Swamptail's face turned grave, and he nodded. "It's not any different from your story. Lionface and Wolfheart are missing too, and they've been gone for just as long, since moonhigh last night."

Lichencloud thought for a moment before speaking again. "Do you think the disappearances are connected somehow?" she asked her mate curiously, wanting his opinion.

Swamptail nodded. "They must be- exactly the same number of cats has gone missing from both of our Clans, and at the same time too. But _how _are they connected? What caused it in the first place?"

Lichencloud wasn't sure how she should reply. Before she could speak, Swamptail changed the subject. "Are they coming soon?" he asked, eying Lichencloud's swollen belly.

She nodded. "We'll probably only be able to meet here one more time before the kits come. Then we won't see each other again until they're apprentices," she meowed sadly.

Swamptail looked unhappy about it too. "But we'll have kits," he meowed gently.

Lichencloud just nodded before flattening the fur on his shoulder with a quick lick. "I have to get going before I'm missed," she told him, waving a goodbye with her tail. Swamptail just nodded absentmindedly before turning and bounding back into his own territory. Lichencloud set off in the opposite direction, back towards the SkyClan camp.

Lichencloud entered the nursery again, settling herself down on her bed of fresh moss. Nobody seemed to have noticed her absence, so she wouldn't have to use one of her many excuses for being gone today. She looked down at her swollen belly thoughtfully. She would have her kits soon, in a moon at the most. Then she wouldn't have to make up excuses for a while. Thinking about her secret meetings with Swamptail was uncomfortable. It was a huge secret, and she wished she had somebody to confide in about it. _But I can't tell anyone, _she told herself firmly, _it would spread to the rest of the Clan and everyone would know that I'm breaking the warrior code._ At that moment Riverpaw nosed his way into the nursery, carrying a small spider monkey and looking more dejected and worried than usual.

"What's the matter?" Lichencloud asked the apprentice as he dropped the vole beside her.

Riverpaw looked at the ground. "I can't tell you," he growled, but Lichencloud could see the anxiety in his green eyes.

"I promise I won't tell anyone else," she persisted, now very curious about what the gray apprentice was hiding.

Riverpaw eyed her nervously. "No matter what it is?" he asked her.

Lichencloud shook her head. "Not even if you're helping CloudClan raid our camp," she mewed.

"I guess," Riverpaw meowed, although he didn't seem to relax at all. "Well, I've kind of been…" Riverpaw's voice faded, and he frowned, trying again. "I've been…" the apprentice glared at his shuffling paws, took a deep breath, and tried one more time. "I've been stealing prey from the other Clans," he finally managed to mew.

Lichencloud's eyes widened. _Riverpaw's really breaking the warrior code and- _Lichencloud let her thoughts fade as a smile slowly spread on her face.

Riverpaw looked confused. "What?" he meowed uncertainly.

"I have a secret for you too," she told him, and she leaned over so that her mouth was just close enough to his ear for her to whisper something into it.


	6. Chapter 4

**-4-**

Every cat was silent for a moment.

Then Thundertail spoke in a hoarse voice. "But what about our Clans _here_? They need us too!"

"Not as much as your old Clans need you," Thrushwing meowed quietly.

"And where would I go? I suppose that means that I'm unimportant?" Vulturepelt snarled. "I doubt the rogues want me back."

Ferretclaw met his glare calmly. "All the Clans need as much help as they can get. I'm sure one of them would welcome your help." Vulturepelt started to hiss a reply back.

"So why do they need our help anyway?" Lionface interrupted.

"All four Clans are still looking for another place they can call home," Spottedleaf explained. "Even after all these moons of searching, they have not found anything, and StarClan can't find a place where they can communicate with us…" Spottedleaf let her mew trail off into nothing. She glanced at the jungle cats meaningfully. "But you have the Moontree."

Nightflower frowned. "Wait a minute, you mean you want us to bring them _here?_"

Snakefang narrowed his eyes in skepticism. "But we barely have enough prey to feed the cats that are already living here! Everyone would starve! And there isn't enough to territory to support _eight _Clans!"

Thistlefur shook his head. "You're wrong. The jungle stretches farther than you think, and more land of course means more prey. SkyClan, CloudClan, MistClan, and StormClan only cover half the jungle."

Vulturepelt opened his mouth to argue, but Thundertail shot him a look and he quickly closed it.

"We'll give you a moon," Spottedleaf meowed, "then you can come back here and we'll tell you which direction to travel."

The odd sparkling mist was forming again, and the four StarClan cats turned and melted into it before the fog faded.

It took a few long moments for the stunned cats to recover from their shock. They just couldn't get the fact that they'd actually met StarClan, even though they had been wide awake and none of them were medicine cats. And now StarClan themselves wanted them to bring strange cats that they'd never met but were supposedly related to into their jungle home.

"So…should we meet back here next moon then?" Moonflower mewed hoarsely, summing up the courage to speak even though her throat was completely parched.

"Well, we can't disobey StarClan," Thundertail meowed, finding his voice.

"Then it's settled," Snakefang announced firmly. "We meet back here at the next quarter moon."

Nightflower grunted, swiftly descending the sturdy tree trunk paw by paw. She was used to climbing, being a SkyClan cat. Moonflower was just below her, her light blue eyes narrowed in concentration as she drove her needle-like claws into the thick bard. When the two cats were only a few tail-lengths away from the ground, they jumped, landing lightly on their paws. They headed away from the rising moon, which was little more than a pale sliver against the pink and orange sky.

"We need to get back as quickly as possible," Nightflower hissed to Moonflower, even though she knew she was wasting their time. Moonflower was already bounding toward SkyClan territory, and Nightflower scrambled to catch up.

Moonflower started to pant, exhausted from all the events that had happened in the past couple days. But she forced her paws to keep churning the soil, leaving only a cloud of dust and an occasional cough from Nightflower behind her. The white cat found her mind traveling to Mosspelt, her mate as well as the deputy of SkyClan. What would he think had become of her? She hoped he knew she was safe, but then again, how could he? She and Nightflower had left without telling anyone where they were going or why. Glancing back at Nightflower, she wondered if her friend felt the same way about Eagletalon. It was always hard to read the she-cat's expression, and now was no exception; her orange eyes revealed nothing.

Nightflower skidded to a halt, unsheathing her claws to slow her down. Moonflower had stopped too, and she was now gazing up the trunk of a tree even larger than the Abandoned Tiger Roost. Then she crouched for a moment before springing up and beginning to scrabble up the tree. After a moment's pause, Nightflower followed.

Finally Moonflower leapt onto a huge branch, wide enough for five cats to walk side by side on without being precariously close to the edge. Cats were everywhere, some carrying fresh kill towards a modest heap on another branch, and a gray tabby tom was making his way toward a branch that was completely hidden from view by thick vines that draped down from the branch above and made a sort of curtain. Moonflower jumped when Nightflower spoke, having not noticed that she was now sitting next to her.

"We have the best camp," she purred, "plenty of space and very well hidden."

Moonflower nodded in agreement. She was fond of their camp and loved sleeping under the gently sloping treetops of the jungle and couldn't imagine having a den on the ground. She was about to mix in with the bustling crowd of SkyClan cats when she spotted a dark brown tom weaving his way toward her.

"Mosspelt!" she meowed joyfully. She stepped forward to greet him, touching noses and entwining her tail with his.

Mosspelt's eyes flickered from her to Nightflower. "Where have you two _been?_ I sent out a moon's worth of patrols out looking for you!" He paused, then beckoned to a silver tabby who was passing by with a mouse clenched in her jaws. She obediently trotted over and looked up at Mosspelt inquiringly. "After you take that mouse to the fresh kill pile, go out and tell all the patrols that Moonflower and Nightflower have been found."

The tabby nodded, but she stayed where she was, just staring at Moonflower. "Where _were _you?" she finally blurted.

Moonflower gently touched the small cat with the tip of her tail. "I'm sorry Streampaw, but Nightflower and I can't tell you."

Streampaw opened her mouth as if to argue, but then seemed to think better of it and shut it. Moonflower watched the apprentice stalk toward the fresh kill pile. Streampaw was her kit, the only one of the entire litter that had survived the greencough that had spread around the camp last leafbare. She meowed a hasty goodbye to Mosspelt before he could ask her where they had been and headed toward the warriors den. She would sleep for a while so that she wasn't so exhausted.

Nightflower didn't feel like taking a quick nap, even though she was tired. She didn't feel like trying to find Eagletalon either; he'd just start asking her questions she couldn't answer. She'd check in on Lichencloud, she finally decided. She let her paws carry her to the nursery and pushed her way inside.

The light brown she-cat inside looked up, and, after seeing who it was, let out a meow of delight. "Nightflower! Where have you been? Mosspelt sent out loads of patrols to look for you! Where's Moonflower? Is she still missing?"

Nightflower flicked her tail to signal Lichencloud to slow down. "Yes, Moonflower's back too." She ignored the question about where they'd been.

Lichencloud craned her neck, trying to see around Nightflower. "Well, where is she then?"

"She's napping in the warriors' den," Nightflower told her patiently, "she'll probably come visit you when she wakes up."

Lichencloud nodded absently, suddenly looking far away. "I wish I could go visit her myself. Being a queen isn't all that exciting." Her eyes brightened again. "But I'll have my kits soon!"

Nightflower nodded, happy for her friend. "Would you like me to tell…" Her voice trailed off. She and Moonflower both knew about Lichencloud's mate.

Lichencloud's face became shadowed with seriousness. "Yes, tell him when it happens. I won't be able to go to the Gathering if I'm here in the nursery."

"I will," Nightflower reassured her. "I'm going to go out and hunt, okay? I'll visit you again soon."

Lichencloud mewed goodbye as Nightflower exited the nursery. As she climbed down the huge tree trunk that held SkyClan's camp, Nightflower started to wonder how she was going to tell her Clan why she and Moonflower had been gone so long.


	7. Chapter 5

**-5- **

Golden sunbeams trickled onto the floor of the stone cave and cast shadows on the walls. A single bright green eye opened, blinked, and then slowly another eye opened, identical to the first. The owner of the eyes, a skinny tortoiseshell tom, slowly sat up and stretched for a moment before heaving himself to his paws and padded out of the warriors den.

Almost immediately a dark gray tabby tom trotted across the clearing toward the tortoiseshell. "Emeraldeye, I want you to lead the dawn patrol. Take Raincloud and your apprentice with you," the gray tom instructed.

"Yes Charredfur," Emeraldeye replied reluctantly. He'd just woken up and had hoped to have some time to eat, but there was no disobeying his deputy. Charredfur nodded and bounded away toward a large hole between two enormous tree roots, Rabbitstar's den.

Emeraldeye turned around and went back towards the den he'd just come from. Pushing his way through the curtain of plants, he walked over to a patch of moss where a gray and white flank was falling up and down as a cat breathed. As gently as he could, Emeraldeye prodded the she-cat with one paw until she opened her eyes.

"What is it?" she meowed groggily, yawning.

"You're on dawn patrol with me and Icepaw," Emeraldeye told her, "wait by the camp entrance and we'll meet you there."

The she-cat nodded, and Emeraldeye exited the den again to head towards another one just across the clearing that made up StormClan's camp. This time he pushed just his head inside, searching the heaps of fur for his apprentice. Then he saw a white cat curled into a tight ball.

"Icepaw!" he hissed, trying his best not to wake up the other two apprentices, Quickpaw and Falconpaw.

After another moment of silence, Emeraldeye opened his mouth to try again, but the cat started to stir, and then slowly sat up. "Coming in a minute," the white tabby tom grunted.

"Okay," Emeraldeye meowed, "you're on dawn patrol with Raincloud and me. Meet us by the camp entrance."

Having woken his two Clanmates up, Emeraldeye headed over to the entrance to StormClan's camp as he had promised. Raincloud was already there, licking the remains of a fruit bat from her lips. Emeraldeye's belly growled as it was reminded of its hunger. "I'm going to go grab some fresh kill really quick," he told Raincloud, starting toward the pile, but at that moment Icepaw emerged from the apprentices den. Emeraldeye sighed in frustration. He would have to wait to eat until after the patrol was over. Flicking his tail to signal that the other two cats were to follow him, he bounded out of the camp and into the jungle beyond.

Emeraldeye quickly decided they'd check the CloudClan border first, and then work their way around MistClan border, giving them a chance to look at the SkyClan border on the way back to the camp. Then he'd have a chance to eat. Hopefully it would be a quick, uneventful patrol.

"Remember, we have to keep an eye out for Lionface and Wolfheart," Raincloud meowed suddenly. Emeraldeye's fur prickled as he was reminded that the two cats were still missing.

Icepaw didn't seem bothered, and he bounded ahead excitedly. "Which border are we going to first?"

"CloudClan's," Emeraldeye replied as patiently as he could. Sometimes he wished his apprentice had less energy.

"Great! Maybe we'll see one of _their _patrols," Icepaw mewed happily.

"I hope not," Raincloud muttered, just loudly enough for Emeraldeye to hear.

Emeraldeye quickly took the lead again, easily pulling ahead of Icepaw. He let his ears prick, alert for anything that shouldn't be there. They were close to the CloudClan border now; Emeraldeye could tell by the new smell reaching his scent glands. "Make sure you're quiet," he hissed to Icepaw. Then he craned his neck, trying to see past the clusters of plants in his way. He couldn't see anything unusual. Relieved, he was about to turn and start toward the MistClan border when he heard cracking twigs on CloudClan's side of the border. His hackles rose instinctively, and he unsheathed his claws. Raincloud and Icepaw were in similar positions. A moment later, two cats emerged from the bushes.

Without hesitating, Emeraldeye leaped at the nearest intruder, hissing and spitting. Landing squarely on her shoulders, he began raking his claws down her back. She yowled in rage, and turned to sink her teeth into his lashing tail. Crying out in pain, Emeraldeye struggled to yank it away from her grasp; he could feel warm blood trickling from the wound. Emeraldeye risked a quick glance to see how his companions were doing and was startled to see that they were standing there, looking at him quizzically. The other cat, a gray tom, was also looking puzzled. Emeraldeye turned back to his attacker, shook his head, and found himself staring into two angry, but familiar, green eyes.

"What was all _that _about?" Lionface spat, twisting her neck so she could rasp her tongue over the long claw marks running down her back. Emeraldeye sat down, embarrassed that he'd attacked a Clanmate. Even Icepaw hadn't made such a stupid mistake.

Raincloud turned to face Wolfheart. "Where were you? You've been missing for over two days! And why were you in CloudClan's territory?"

"That's our business," Wolfheart growled.

Emeraldeye gazed at him curiously. The aging tom didn't usually keep secrets from his Clan. "Well, we'd better get back to camp. Rabbitstar will want to know that you're back." He quickly got to his paws and turned back the way they had come. Raincloud, Icepaw, Wolfheart, and Lionface followed silently.

When the StormClan cats arrived back in the clearing that held their camp, Emeraldeye headed straight for Rabbitstar's den. He slid easily into the hole between the two huge tree roots.

"Back already?" meowed a voice from the back of the den. A dappled brown she-cat sat on the dusty ground, looking surprised.

Emeraldeye nodded. "While we were patrolling the CloudClan border we met up with Wolfheart and Lionface. We thought you'd want to know as soon as possible."

Rabbitstar stared past Emeraldeye, apparently deep in thought. "Yes, you thought right. Did they by any chance tell you where they were?"

Emeraldeye shook his head. "No, when I asked Wolfheart he said it was none of our business."

"Well, they'll probably tell us when they're ready," Rabbitstar murmured confidently. Emeraldeye did his best to hide his doubts, waving a goodbye with his tail as he turned and left his leader's den.

He left just in time to see Lionface heading toward the den that belonged to Shimmerpelt, StormClan's medicine cat. Emeraldeye cringed, feeling bad for causing her pain for a stupid reason that was completely his fault. Sighing heavily, he changed direction and headed for the warriors den. Maybe he'd find some peace and quiet in there.

After pushing his way into the familiar den, Emeraldeye settled down on his bed of moss. Just before he was about to shut his eyes and get some sleep, the shadowed outlines on the smooth walls changed as two new shapes appeared. Emeraldeye quickly forced his breathing to slow, and he shut his eyes, keeping one open just enough so he could watch the lithe bodies of two cats, one gold and one gray. Emeraldeye pricked his ears to pick up the soft whispers passing between his Clanmates.

"What will we tell them next time they ask? You know they're going to ask again at some point, and they're going to want a better answer than 'none of your business.'"

Emeraldeye could just make out the glowing yellow eyes as they narrowed defiantly. "We'll pretend we didn't hear them. I don't think we should tell them the truth. I doubt they'd like it. And we all agreed on meeting again at the quarter moon like StarClan said, so we can't back down now."

The gold cat sighed. "I guess you're right. It's going to be hard to keep the secret for a whole moon though."

Secret? StarClan? Quarter moon? Emeraldeye could feel the thoughts whirling around in his mind, but he didn't get to hear the rest of the conversation as sleep finally overcame him.


	8. Chapter 6

**-6-**

Thundertail trotted into camp with a large snake clamped in his jaws. He and Vulturepelt had been back for a day now. Phantomstar had seemed suspicious and had pressed them to tell him where they'd been, but they hadn't given in, and he hadn't tried asking them again. After dropping his piece of fresh-kill on the pile, Thundertail tasted the air, searching the many familiar scents for one in particular. He let a couple moments pass before he closed his mouth, disappointed. He'd wanted to talk to Vulturepelt, but the dark brown tom didn't appear to be anywhere in the CloudClan camp.

A chilled breeze made the loose soil tingle under Thundertail's feet, and he shivered. Leafbare would be here very soon, which would mean many hardships for not just CloudClan, but all the other Clans as well. _Including the Clans we're supposed to travel to in about a moon _Thundertail added silently, and he felt another shiver course through his body, although this time it wasn't from cold.

"It is pretty chilly, huh?" Thundertail whirled around, and then relaxed when he saw it was only Greenleaf, an earthy brown she-cat who was as gentle as the breezes that ruffled the trees in the season she was born in.

"Er, yeah," Thundertail quickly agreed, "that's why I was about to go to the warriors den and see if I could, um, warm up a bit."

Greenleaf nodded before padding toward the fresh-kill pile and picking up the small snake that Thundertail had just dropped on the pile. Thundertail slunk into the warriors den, but even after settling down he kept his ears pricked, still waiting for Vulturepelt's return.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vulturepelt scrambled onto another boulder, his claws scraping the wet and slippery sides. He stopped for a moment to check his position. The other half of the wide river still stretched ahead of him. After gulping down another deep breath of the humid air, Vulturepelt leaped to the next boulder, this time a little more gracefully. He closed his eyes, his mind telling him desperately to just stop and turn back, but every other instinct told him he couldn't stop. He'd left the camp at dawn, and now he was heading for that mysterious forest that Spottedleaf, Ferretclaw, Thrushwing, and Thistlefur had told him and the other cats that had showed up at the Abandoned Tiger Roost about. Every ounce in him had wanted to tell Thundertail where he was going, but he knew that his friend would stop him and make sure he didn't leave CloudClan's territory until the quarter moon. The truth was, Vulturepelt was going by himself before he was supposed to because he didn't trust Fishfoot, Snakefang, Moonflower, Nightflower, Lionface, and Wolfheart. He knew that he wouldn't be able to travel and rest peacefully with cats from enemy Clans. Vulturepelt felt his amber eyes narrow into slits as he was painfully reminded of what he was doing. Thundertail would be so angry…the golden brown tom probably wouldn't trust him ever again.

Vulturepelt opened his eyes again, knowing that he had to stay focused on the journey ahead. It wouldn't take long for Thundertail to realize what had happened, and he didn't want to risk being followed. In truth, Vulturepelt partly wanted Thundertail to catch up with him and travel with him, but he knew that instead he'd get a cuff on the ear and then dragged back to camp to be punished by Phantomstar.

Finally, Vulturepelt felt his paws touch the pebbly ground on the other side of the river. He made a quick pause to make sure none of his pads were cut too badly, and then quickly bounded back into the shady shelter of the trees.

Vulturepelt let himself slow to a steady trot, and then finally let his mind wander to another problem: he didn't have the faintest idea where this other forest was or how long it would take to get there. Cursing quietly, Vulturepelt scanned his surroundings, hoping to find something to point him on his way. The air smelled strongly of SkyClan, making the tom deeply aware that he had crossed the border and should keep a lookout for other cats.

After a few moments, Vulturepelt gave up looking for a way to the forest and locked onto the scent of prey. He immediately dropped into a hunting crouch and slunk quietly toward an unfortunate monkey who had its back turned. After one more heartbeat, Vulturepelt sprang into the air, kicking up dust as he slammed into the surprised monkey. He made quick work of killing it with a fierce bite to the neck, and then hungrily began feasting on his find.

As Vulturepelt licked the scraps from his whiskers, three cats appeared from the shadows. Vulturepelt froze as he recognized Skunkstripe, Stormtail, and Streampaw.

Stormtail, who appeared to be in charge of the patrol, narrowed her eyes challengingly at Vulturepelt. "I don't recall you being a SkyClan cat," she hissed menacingly.

Vulturepelt gulped, his eyes darting around for a possible escape route, but the cats had already formed a tight circle around him. He would have to fight his way out.

Vulturepelt let his muscles tighten beneath his ragged fur, and was about to pounce when suddenly a yowl sounded from somewhere nearby. Momentarily distracted, the SkyClan cats turned there heads, and Vulturepelt craned his neck to see a gray apprentice rushing toward them.

"Owlstar wants you back at camp, Lichencloud's having her kits!"

Stormtail glanced back at Vulturepelt, who had just been about to start slinking away. Then she turned to Skunkstripe and Eagletalon. "We'll have to bring him back to camp as a prisoner," she meowed, and the two toms nodded before gripping Vulturepelt's scruff in their jaws and dragging him through the dirt as they followed Stormtail and the apprentice. Vulturepelt meowed in disgust; he was being handled like a kit. And how was he supposed to find the forest now, when he was a prisoner?

Not long after being captured, Vulturepelt found himself being carried roughly up the side of a huge tree. Once they set him down on one of the branches, he blinked in amazement at the camp that SkyClan had established. Unfortunately, he only had a moment to enjoy the sights before he was hauled into a dark den behind a tangle of vines. After being released there, he heard one set of pawsteps walking away from his prison; one cat must have stayed to guard him. But then he heard voices outside, and a moment later a black cat stepped inside.

"What are _you _doing here!" the cat spat in surprise.

Vulturepelt recognized those piercing orange eyes immediately; it was Nightflower. He couldn't think of a way to respond.

"Eagletalon told me they'd captured a CloudClan cat, but _you_? What in the name of StarClan did _you _get yourself into!"

Nightflower's hissing and spitting stung, but Vulturepelt hid his embarrassment as best he could. Those eyes were blazing like forest fires, and he didn't want to risk getting burnt. Then, seeming to remember that there was another cat outside, Nightflower lowered her voice. "What were you doing on our territory?"

Vulturepelt felt his tongue loosen up enough for him to talk. "I was going to the forest-"

Immediately the flames in Nightflower's eyes rekindled. "_Before _the quarter moon? _Without _the rest of us? I don't trust you either, but was I trying to be a big show-off and get there before everyone else so that I could be the most famous hero?"

Before Vulturepelt could reply, Nightflower turned her back and stalked out of den. He could hear her muttering loudly to herself.

"No-good vain furball…wait until I tell Moonflower about this…"


	9. Chapter 7

**-6- **

Tiny mouse feet pattered around on a small gray stone. It cautiously looked around, eyes open wide and ears pricked, for any signs of danger. Seeing none, it began to nibble the seed grasped in its two front paws. Just upon finishing its food, the mouse started to feel vibrations in the stone it was standing on. It scampered away a moment too late. Sharp claws hooked its tail and pinned it down. A light brown paw dealt it a heavy blow, making quick work of killing the mouse.

Lilytail gripped the mouse in her jaws, then padded back in the direction of the CloudClan camp. The sun felt warm on her fur, and she stopped to let the heat seep in for a moment. She rarely had time for hunting; her responsibilities as deputy left her little free time. On the way back to camp, she brushed some dirt away to pick up a stash of other prey she'd caught earlier. Her jaws stuffed full with the fresh-kill, she trotted into camp.

A few cats were lounging around outside the dens, bathing in the sun or chatting with Clanmates. Lilytail caught sight of Bearheart and Dragonpaw, the medicine cat and his apprentice, squeezing out of the nursery. "Hello," Bearheart meowed cheerfully, "Redflower just had her kits."

A purr rose from Lilytail's throat. "How many? Has she named them yet?"

"Three: Gingerkit, Seedkit, and Goldenkit," Bearheart told her. "She's suckling them right now."

Lilytail turned toward the nursery, anxious to see the new kits. Pushing her way inside, she saw CloudClan's only queen, Redflower, on her side with three mewling kits gathered around her. Redflower looked up, displaying the exhaustion and happiness in her eyes.

Lilytail gazed at the three kits, one tom and two she-cats, and felt thrill rush through her. Kits were always good news, and something happy to chase away some of the bitterness of late Leaffall.

"Which one's which?" Lilytail inquired, wanting to give Redflower an opportunity to show off her first litter.

"This is Gingerkit," the queen meowed, gesturing toward the tom, who had the same dark ginger fur as his mother. Redflower nudged a golden kitten toward her deputy. "This is Goldenkit, and then the last one's Seedkit." Seedkit was a very small, light brown tabby with streaks of white.

Lilytail nodded, lowering her tail so the kits could bat at it with their small paws. Their paws moved surely through the air, and their build looked sturdy enough. They'd make good warriors when they were older. She lifted her tail out of their reach and then meowed a quick goodbye to Redflower before exiting the nursery. She needed to send the sunhigh patrol out to check CloudClan's borders.

Lilytail thought for a moment, trying to decide who should go out on the patrol. She'd let Fleckfur lead it, she decided, and then Thundertail and Vulturepelt could go with her. It only took a moment for her to spot Thundertail and Fleckfur, lounging around outside the warriors den.

"Fleckfur, Thundertail, can you come here?" she mewed. The two cats got to their paws and padded across the clearing and sat down in front of Lilytail. "Fleckfur, I'd like you to lead the dawn patrol, and Thundertail and Vulturepelt will go with you."

Immediately Thundertail's eyes hardened. "Vulturepelt isn't here," he growled, meowing through clenched teeth.

Lilytail recoiled in surprise. "What do you mean he's not here? Didn't you two just get back a few days ago?"

"Yes, but now he's gone again. I haven't seen him since yesterday at sunrise." Thundertail's claws unsheathed and sheathed as he spoke, and Lilytail couldn't help but wonder why he looked so angry. Shouldn't he be worried?

"Well, I guess Greenleaf will have to join you then," she stammered. "Go get her, and on the patrol, keep an eye out for Vulturepelt."

Fleckfur nodded and she trotted toward the mouth of the warriors den accompanied by Thundertail, who still looked extremely cross. Lilytail felt a little unnerved; Thundertail was usually sociable and tolerant, and she couldn't understand his sudden rage.

Still puzzled, Lilytail started toward Phantomstar's den. She needed to tell him about Vulturepelt's second disappearance and give him news that Redflower's kits had arrived as well. She'd break the bad news to him first, so that maybe he'd be cheered up by the good news afterward. Cautiously, she pushed her stepped into the cavernous den and spotted Phantomstar at the back.

"Yes?" Phantomstar was washing a paw, and the skeleton of a bat lay about a tail-length away from him.

Lilytail took a deep breath. "Vulturepelt's gone again," she meowed quietly.

The fur on Phantomstar's spine ruffled a bit. "Thundertail's still here, right?"

Lilytail nodded. "Yes, he's here, although he seems like he woke up on the wrong side of his moss."

Phantomstar looked troubled. "You know as well as I do that we're short on warriors. With Vulturepelt gone, we only have you, Fleckfur, Thundertail, and Greenleaf. Redflower won't be out of the nursery for a long time either."

Lilytail felt her fur prickle uncomfortably. "Yes, but hopefully Vulturepelt will return as he did last time. I also have a bit of good news though: Redflower had her kits, two she-cats and one tom. Their names are Gingerkit, Seedkit, and Goldenkit."

Phantomstar seemed to relax, but only a tiny bit. "Well, that's good. I'll have to go see him."

Lilytail waited until her leader flicked his tail, telling her she was dismissed. She padded out of the den and back onto the damp soil. Rain drops immediately began pelting her fur like tiny stones. She flinched a little, but it rained a lot in the jungle, and she was used to it. What was really bothering her was CloudClan's shortage of warriors. Phantomstar's words had shaken her into reality and made her realize just how small CloudClan was. Dragonpaw had really wanted to be a medicine cat, so that was one warrior lost. Redflower wouldn't be out of the nursery for six moons, and her kits wouldn't become warriors for at least twice as long. If their territory was invaded by other Clans, they might not be able to defend themselves. Lilytail could picture the clash of claws and blood, the yowls of fighting warriors, Redflower's kits mewling pitifully…Lilytail squeezed her eyes shut, trying to get rid of her vision, but she knew that it was all too possible that it could come true.


	10. Chapter 8

**-8-**

A thick silence enveloped the jungle. Usually monkeys were shrieking and tigers were roaring even at night, but for some reason there was no noise. Starpaw cautiously padded out into the camp clearing, the quiet making her nervous. She jumped when the bushes near her rustled and a blue-gray she-cat emerged from the shadows.

"Hello," the she-cat meowed. Starpaw couldn't move. Her eyes seemed as if they'd be permanently fixed on this cat.

"Who are you?" she finally managed to gasp. She could feel no recognition when she looked at the cat.

"My name is Bluestar," came the reply.

Starpaw tilted her head to one side. Sunheart had told her a little bit about MistClan's ancestors, but there had been no leader named Bluestar. Was she from one of the other three Clans?

"I can see why you might be confused," Bluestar said gently. "I'm not from MistClan, SkyClan, CloudClan, or StormClan. I am an ancestor of ThunderClan."

Starpaw felt her mind become even more muddled. What was ThunderClan? It didn't exist…did it?

"ThunderClan resides in a forest far away from here," Bluestar meowed patiently.

Starpaw finally managed to find her voice. "Then why are you here?" she mewed curiously.

"I came to bring you a prophecy," Bluestar told her. The she-cat's voice suddenly lowered to a whisper.

"When dawn comes and the quarter moon sets, it will leave this jungle and the stars will follow, leaving the jungle enveloped in darkness."

Starpaw narrowed her eyes as a white light covered Bluestar. The apprentice blinked, and then Bluestar was gone.

Shaken, Starpaw padded back toward the apprentices den, but before entering, she looked up at the sky. A quarter moon was moving across the sky, and tiny pinpricks of light seemed to be following it.

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Starpaw jolted awake, her eyes wide and her fur standing on end.

"What is _wrong _with you?" Boulderpaw was sitting upright on his bed of mass. He had stopped cleaning his whiskers to stare at Starpaw. "You slept in. It's almost sunhigh."

Starpaw stuck her head outside the den. Sure enough, the sun had almost finished climbing to its place in the sky. She started toward Sunheart's den at a steady trot; she didn't want to make him angry by being any later than she was already going to be.

When she entered the den, Sunheart was bustling about, grabbing various herbs from the stone shelves. He spotted Starpaw, and immediately started talking. "It's the half moon. We have to go meet with the other medicine cats today. Hurry, eat those traveling herbs over there."

Starpaw obediently gripped a mouthful of leaves in her jaws and gulped them down as best she could, making a face at the taste.

Sunheart easily downed his herbs and shot out of the den, beckoning with his tail for Starpaw to follow. The gray apprentice scrambled after him, her white paws slipping on the floor of the den; it was covered in rainwater.

Starpaw and Sunheart easily made it to Fourrocks by sunhigh. There was one cat there when they arrived, a pretty tortoiseshell she-cat. Starpaw had met the other medicine cats at the last half moon, and she politely dipped her head. "Hi Marshfur."

Marshfur smiled and meowed, "Hello. I'm glad you two made it on time. Hopefully we won't have to wait too long for Shimmerpelt, Bearheart, and Dragonpaw."

Starpaw felt pleased when she heard the last name. Dragonpaw was the only other medicine cat apprentice in the jungle, her best friend since she'd met him a moon ago. Boulderpaw didn't count since he was her brother.

"Looks like we won't," Sunheart meowed suddenly. Starpaw had to crane her neck to catch a glimpse of the lithe shape moving toward them from StormClan's territory. A moment later Shimmerpelt joined them.

"Where are Bearheart and Dragonpaw?" the black tabby she-cat meowed impatiently.

Starpaw felt just as exasperated. Why did her friend have to arrive last? They wouldn't have as much time to talk. Anxious, she twisted around to look into CloudClan's territory. There wasn't any sign of the two cats, not yet anyway. Starpaw kneaded the ground impatiently. Not only did she want to chat with Dragonpaw, but she also wanted to get to the Moontree soon. Maybe Bluestar would tell her more about the prophecy.

All of a sudden, Starpaw felt something slam into her back. She whirled around, hissing, to slash at her attacker, but quickly sheathed her claws when she saw who it was.

"You were looking the wrong way," Dragonpaw teased.

Starpaw flattened her ears playfully. "Well, you didn't have to sneak up on me like that," she spat.

"Enough, Dragonpaw. Stop provoking Starpaw." Bearheart padded up behind his apprentice, his black fur clashing with Dragonpaw's white pelt. Dragonpaw dipped his head apologetically, embarrassed to be lectured in front of the other medicine cats.

Shimmerpelt flicked her tail impatiently. "Come on…StarClan will be waiting for us."

Starpaw followed Sunheart and the other medicine cats away from Fourrocks and toward the sun, which was now at its highest point in the sky. The six cats would have to hurry if they wanted to make it to the Moontree by moonrise.

As they weaved between trees and avoided other animals, Dragonpaw trotted up to Starpaw's side. "Hi, long time no see."

Starpaw nodded. "How's CloudClan?" she asked, making conversation.

Dragonpaw shrugged. "We're doing okay. We're a little short on warriors since we only have three, but otherwise we're fine."

Starpaw counted on her claws. "Three? I thought you had four."

Dragonpaw's shoulders slumped. "Well, first Vulturepelt and Thundertail went missing, and then they came back a couple days later. But now Vulturepelt's gone again, and nobody has any clue where he is."

Her dream from the previous night flashed through Starpaw's mind. _When dawn comes and the quarter moon sets, it will leave this jungle and the stars will follow, leaving the jungle enveloped in darkness, _Bluestar had said. Could Vulturepelt be the quarter moon? But then who were the stars? It was all so confusing; Starpaw wished prophecies weren't so mysterious.

"You okay?" Dragonpaw was staring at her worriedly.

Starpaw shook her head. "Yeah, I'm fine," she mewed feebly.

Dragonpaw gazed at her curiously for one more moment, then changed the subject. "Any news from your Clan?"

"No, not really. Fishfoot and Snakefang went missing for a while too, but they're back now."

"Oh…when did they go missing?"

"On the night of the quarter moon…why?"

Dragonpaw stared at his paws. "Because that's when Thundertail and Vulturepelt went missing too."

Starpaw was more puzzled than ever now. "Really? Are you sure?"

Dragonpaw nodded. "Positive," he meowed.

There were two mysteries to solve now. Everything was just so confusing.

The rest of the journey was spent in silence. Starpaw and Dragonpaw were too busy thinking to talk anymore, and the other cats seemed to be pondering something themselves. Finally, the weary medicine cats stopped.

"The Moontree is just through here," Sunheart meowed, gesturing toward a large patch of tall grass. The grass tickled Starpaw's nose, and she stifled a sneeze as she pushed through it with her companions. When she finally made it through, the sight of the Moontree was still a magnificent sight, even though she'd seen it once before.

The Moontree had a trunk thicker than three leopards standing side by side and it stretched towards the stars, so far up that Starpaw couldn't see the top. In some places its grimy bark was peeling away, revealing a glowing, silver interior. Any Clan cat could see that the tree was truly of StarClan's creation.

Starpaw bounded forward and lay down next to the beautiful tree, letting her nose touch the trunk. A gentle tingling sensation worked its way down her spine, and when it reached the tip of her tail, she was fast asleep.

When Starpaw opened her eyes, she yowled in fright. She was falling through the air feet-first, her fur blown upward by the whistling wind. Summoning all her courage, she looked below her, only to see a vast expanse of water. It could've been an ocean, but the air didn't smell salty and there were trees sticking out of the water in some places. In one more moment, she plunged into the water. Pressure pushed down on her chest as her air supply ran out, and she frantically thrashed toward the surface. She only managed a small breath before she was forced under again. Panicked, she looked around for something, anything, that could help her, and froze. All around her floated the bodies of other cats. Some were desperately trying to get to the surface of the water, and others stared emptily at her, their mouths twisted into a frightened yowl that had escaped them just before their hearts stopped.


	11. Chapter 9

**-9-**

Snakefang cursed quietly as the mouse skittered away into the bushes.

"It's okay," Boulderpaw mewed quickly, "I get the main idea."

Badgerclaw, Boulderpaw's mentor, was sick with whitecough, and Snakefang had been asked to train Boulderpaw until he recovered. Snakefang couldn't help wondering if Pantherstar had chosen him so that he couldn't get away with leaving again. Anyway, teaching Boulderpaw to hunt wasn't going as well as Snakefang had planned.

"Okay, I think I'll just let you try," Snakefang meowed tiredly. Boulderpaw nodded and dropped into his hunting crouch.

"Try and keep all your weight on your haunches," Snakefang instructed. Boulderpaw shifted his position a little and then began to stalk towards an unsuspecting bat. The dark brown apprentice pounced just before the bat had a chance to flutter away. Pleased, Boulderpaw trotted over to his temporary mentor, the bat gripped in his teeth.

"Well done," Snakefang meowed as warmly as he could manage. "That's probably enough training for today. Badgerclaw will be pleased with your progress."

Once the two cats entered MistClan's camp, Snakefang immediately bounded toward the nursery. He had been anxious about Fishfoot all morning, imagining that she was having their kits without him. When he poked his head inside the nursery, Fishfoot was lying on her bed of moss in the nursery, looking bored. She brightened a little when she saw her mate. "Hello, how was training?"

Snakefang shrugged. "It was okay. How was your day?"

Fishfoot made a face. "Same as always. Shadowpelt brought me water at sunrise, then Scorchedtail brought me fresh-kill, then Shadowpelt brought me fresh-kill at sunhigh and Scorchedtail brought me water."

Snakefang felt sympathetic. "There should be at least one more queen so you have someone to talk to. I would keep you company, but since Badgerclaw's sick…"

Fishfoot let her head rest on her paws, her ears flicking in annoyance. "I know, I know, it's not your fault. I wish our kits would just hurry up so that I'll at least have _some_thing to keep me busy. Being a warrior is much more interesting than being a queen."

"It'll be okay," Snakefang reassured her, touching his nose to her soft pelt. "In the meantime, I'll go get you some water."

Fishfoot murmured goodbye as he left the nursery and then the camp. On the way to the river, he found a soft patch of moss, perfect for soaking up water. His mouth now full of the moss, he padded to the edge of the river and dipped it into the cool water. As he was about to pull it out, the moss was tugged away from him and pulled into the water. Snakefang recoiled in surprise, then cautiously padded back to the river. Trying to focus on the murky water, he saw two yellow eyes blinking at him. The moss floated up to the surface of the water, now tattered and torn to pieces. Wide-eyed, Snakefang yowled as he was forced into the water by the crocodile.

Snakefang managed to take a deep breath before he was pulled under, then he struggled as sharp teeth sunk into his leg. The brown tabby tom made the mistake of opening his mouth to yowl in pain; water poured in, choking him. _Snap! _The crocodile's jaws bit into his leg again. Swirls of red crept into the water, and Snakefang felt his breath leaving him; he wasn't going to make it…

_Pow! _Snakefang choked up a mouthful of water as something slammed into his chest. Slowly, he opened his eyes. It took a minute for his blurred vision to focus, and then he saw Sunheart and Starpaw standing over him with worried looks on their faces. Sunheart lifted a paw and brought it down hard on Snakefang's chest again, and Snakefang felt the rest of the river water leave his body.

"Starpaw saw the ripples in the river and dragged me over here," Sunheart meowed. "When we realized it was you, we pulled you out. You were unconscious, but you're lucky you survived. Not many cats can live through an encounter with a crocodile. I'm just glad we happened to be coming back from the Moontree so we could rescue you."

Snakefang opened his mouth to meow his thanks, but only a small, rasping cough came out, and pain immediately shot through him. He didn't even have the strength to flinch.

"We need to get you back to camp," Sunheart meowed, still sounding worried. "Starpaw, you help, and make sure you're careful not to touch…not to touch that area."

The medicine cat's stammering made Snakefang feel nervous. What did he mean by "that area"? He tried to crane his neck to look, but his head flopped uselessly back onto the ground.

"Don't try to move," Starpaw mewed. "You could still die if you use up your strength." Her voice was quivering too, and her eyes kept flashing to what seemed to be his tail, but he couldn't tell for sure. Sunheart grabbed him by his scruff, and Starpaw gently picked up his tail so that it wouldn't get caught on anything. Snakefang felt so useless; he was being carried like a kit, and he couldn't move. What would Fishfoot think? He hoped she wouldn't think this was her fault since he'd gone to the river to get water for her. A moment later, Sunheart and Starpaw pushed their way into MistClan's camp with Snakefang. Shadowpelt, who was just emerging from the nursery, saw Snakefang and immediately reentered it with a look of horror pasted on her face. Snakefang felt confused. He didn't look that horrible, did he?

Sunheart set him down on a bed of moss in the medicine cat's den. The black tom immediately began pawing through piles of herbs, selecting a few and brushing the rest aside. Then he came back over to Snakefang, Starpaw at his side.

"Alright Starpaw, pay close attention. For…this kind of wound, you should apply cobwebs to stop the bleeding and vine to stop infection." Sunheart pressed the herbs onto whatever wound they were talking about. Snakefang noted that the wound was strangely numb, although still had no idea why.

Sunheart stepped back, looking over his work. "Okay, you should get some sleep if you want to recover," he ordered.

"I…I want to see the damage," Snakefang rasped feebly.

Sunheart's whiskers twitched. "Rest first."

Snakefang decided it would be useless to argue with Sunheart, so he obediently closed his eyes and was soon asleep.

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Fishfoot's eyes widened in shock. "Are…are you sure you saw correctly?" she stammered.

Shadowpelt nodded. "I swear I'm not lying. Sunheart and Starpaw came into the camp carrying Snakefang and…and his left hind leg was gone."


	12. Chapter 10

**-10-**

Lichencloud happily nosed her three healthy kits closer to her. Being a queen was much more interesting now that she had kits. They were fun to watch as they stumbled around the small but cozy nursery, examining things with their newly opened eyes.

Ivykit had come first, a light brown tom with darker brown flecks. Next was Swampkit, a beautiful dark brown she-cat who looked exactly like her father except with Lichencloud's amber eyes. Last was Pinekit, a tom; he was the opposite of Ivykit, dark brown with lighter flecks. Lichencloud was very pleased with all of them, and she was impatient for the full moon to come so that Nightflower or Moonflower could bring Swamptail the news at the Gathering.

Lichencloud patiently picked up Pinekit in her teeth (he'd been wandering toward the nursery's entrance) and deposited him next to his siblings. One thing she'd learned about kits in the past few days was that they weren't easy to take care of.

A gray nose poked into the nursery, and Riverpaw padded inside.

"_Still_?" Lichencloud meowed, exasperated. Surely Owlstar wasn't being this hard on the young apprentice.

"No, actually, I just came to see the kits. I guess I'm used to coming here," Riverpaw confessed. He eyed Swampkit, Pinekit, and Ivykit curiously as they reached up to bat at his whiskers with tiny paws. "So is Swamptail really their father?"

Lichencloud bit her tongue and nodded, once again reminded of how much she was breaking the warrior code.

"Don't worry, I haven't told anyone," he reassured her. Then his eyes darted toward the gap in the nursery wall. "You haven't told anyone about my hunting, have you?"

Lichencloud shook her head. "Of course not. I'm trustworthy."

"Yeah, I know, I'm just nervous that someone's going to find out anyway," Riverpaw muttered. He took one last glance at the kits and then said goodbye before exiting the nursery.

Lichencloud felt disappointed that he hadn't stayed longer. Her kits kept her busy, but she couldn't exactly have conversations with them yet. Now all three of them were mewling, displaying their small pink tongues. Lichencloud obliged and lay on her side, pushing the kits toward her with one paw so they could eat. The mewling stopped immediately as they latched onto her belly, their voices lessening to contented purrs.

Lichencloud looked up as the vines rustled again. This time a white she-cat slipped inside and greeted her with a friendly meow.

"Hi Moonflower," Lichencloud purred, "how's life outside the nursery?"

Moonflower shrugged. "It's okay. Owlstar's still trying to figure out what we should do with that prisoner." There was venom in her voice as she spat out the word "prisoner". "He's taking all our fresh-kill, so we don't know what to do about him. If we let him go, he could tell CloudClan the location of our camp."

Lichencloud nodded. It was a pretty bad predicament. "We should try and get him to tell us some secrets about his own Clan and be careful about what we say around him, for now at least," she meowed.

A look of agreement crossed Moonflower's face. "Yes, we'll have to do that for the time being. Owlstar will come up with something eventually. I have to go now."

Moonflower's tail disappeared from sight in a matter of seconds. Lichencloud sighed, once again bored. _I'll take a short nap, _she decided, rounding up the playful kits and making sure they couldn't run away. With the sound of the camp's activity in her ears, she slipped into the world of dreams.

Lichencloud found herself standing in a different jungle, not the one she lived in. This jungle had much shorter trees, and the air was cooler and thinner somehow. She shut her eyes, shivering from cold. When she opened them again, the trees were gone, replaced by odd structures that varied in shape and size. Instead of soft soil under her paws, there was a hot, smooth, and sticky surface. Lichencloud turned her eyes to her left, and yowled in terror as she saw a huge, shiny thing rushing toward her with unmatched speed. Within a second, it was even larger as it stood a whisker's breadth from her face.

Just before impact, she found herself standing in yet another environment. A smooth, calm lake now stretched over the landscape. Lichencloud felt relieved that she'd been transported to this much safer place. The blades of moist grass felt good between her toes as she padded around, anxious to explore. A crack of thunder snapped her attention to the sky. Clouds were forming, dark gray and larger than any Lichencloud had ever set her amber eyes on in the jungle she knew.

The rain came all at once, smacking the ground with surprising force. Lichencloud had to dash to a nearby tree for shelter, but even there, the leaves were blown aside by the powerful drops. She stood there: cold, miserable, and soaked to the bone. _What _is _this place? _she asked herself, shivering. _It was just sunny and beautiful, but now it's horrible. _Lichencloud turned her eyes toward the lake. The water's smooth surface was now covered in ripples and gigantic splashes from the rain, and, to Lichencloud's disbelief, it seemed to be growing. It seemed like the lake was being ripped apart by StarClan. Was StarClan angry? Something inside Lichencloud told her that StarClan wasn't causing this, but instead trying with all their might to stop it.

However, StarClan didn't seem to be succeeding. Lichencloud yowled in alarm as the roaring lake overflowed, sweeping toward her. The wave left destruction in its wake; trees were torn from their roots, flowers blown to pieces, grass ripped from the ground. She started running, fearing that if the wave caught up with her she would be shredded like the scenery. Her breathing came heavy and shallow; it had not been long since her kitting and her belly was still slightly swollen. Chancing another glance back, Lichencloud tried to speed up, but only succeeded in making her lungs burn with a fiery pain. She cried out as one of her claws snagged in a bramble lying across the path. Now she really was trapped.

Lichencloud braced herself, clenching her teeth and letting her muscles knot tightly. If she could survive the strong wave, she could probably make it through everything else. The water hit her as a solid, ice-cold wall, and she felt her grip on the ground slipping. She'd be washed away!

She was swept around helplessly like a toy. Her yowls for help were growing fainter; she could tell because of the way her throat was drying up and closing. _This is it. I'm going to die. _What would become of her kits? What would Swamptail do when he found out she was gone forever?

Just as Lichencloud was about to give in to death, she felt sharp pinpricks in the loose skin around her neck. When she felt the ground under her paws, the teeth left her neck. Lichencloud turned to see a small gray cat walking away on white paws. _This cat saved me. I owe her my life. _Determined to do what she thought was right, Lichencloud padded after the steadily plodding she-cat.


	13. Chapter 11

**-11-**

Ripplestar cautiously padded out of her makeshift den, sniffing the air for any signs of danger. To her relief, only the familiar smell of her Clan greeted her. Feeling a pang of sorrow pierce her heart, she turned her thoughts to their predicament. _It'll be over soon, _she reassured herself. _ThunderClan will survive. _

She scanned the clearing for any signs of movement. It appeared that all but one cat was still sleeping. A white tom was sitting towards the edge of the jumble of sleeping warriors, his chin lifted so that he was facing the sky. Ripplestar carefully padded through the maze of cats until she reached him.

As she approached, the white cat turned, revealing his milky white eyes that had no pupils. It still never ceased to amaze Ripplestar that he could see as well as any other cat without pupils.

"Good morning Spiritfur. Any signs from StarClan?" she inquired. Spiritfur wasn't a medicine cat, that was Mapleleaf's job, but he could still read signs from StarClan. The tom had told her that it had something to do with his vision; he could see things that others could not.

"No," he rasped. He turned back to the sky, seemingly uninterested with his leader. Ripplestar didn't mind; she was used to his behavior. Spiritfur rarely stopped watching nature.

Ripplestar made her way back across the clearing, almost treading on Sparrowfeather's twitching tail but withdrawing her paw at the last moment. The leader felt pained to see her Clan in such a state. As she walked past Ringtail, she could count every single one of the she-cat's ribs, and Hailpaw was mewling pitifully in his sleep. Farther toward the center of the mass of sleeping cats, Cricketchirp, a young queen, tossed about with fever, and Weaselpelt's pads were cracked and blood was oozing out of them in small scarlet drops.

Ripplestar was on the brink of tears when she finally reached the other side of the field again. She was responsible for these cats, and so far she had failed them. They'd been searching for moons upon moons, seasons upon seasons, yet they still hadn't found a place to call home. _The other Clans are facing the same hardships, _she thought, desperately trying to calm herself down, but even as she thought the words, she had no way of knowing if they were true. There hadn't been a Gathering in eight seasons.

She couldn't stop them. The tears came pouring out, splashing onto her paws. How could ThunderClan possibly survive now? Half the cats would die from starvation and sickness, and then the other half would die from grief for their dead Clanmates. Ripplestar couldn't stop crying; it was impossible.

By the time she felt the tail on her shoulder, there was a small puddle at Ripplestar's paws. Teardrops blurring her vision, she turned her head to stare into a light brown tom's concerned green eyes. It was Weedwhisker, her deputy. However, the sight of him only made her cry harder. He was even thinner than Ringtail; not only were his ribs pressed up against his skin, but his face was gaunt, like that of a corpse, and his legs were more like twigs that looked like they could snap under his remaining weight at any second.

Now Weedwhisker looked really worried. "Ripplestar," he meowed gently. Ripplestar felt her face grow hot under her fur in shame. She was not going to be reduced to a tearful ball of fur. With every ounce of her strength, she lessened her tears until she was only emitting small, hiccupping sobs.

"Ripplestar," Weedwhisker repeated, lifting his tail from her shoulder, "maybe you should go into your den until you stop completely. If the Clan wakes up and sees you like this, they'll lose the last of their hope."

Ripplestar bravely straightened up. "I'm okay now," she mewed hoarsely, forcing her face to acquire a more determined look. Weedwhisker looked concerned for another moment, then changed his expression too. "Shall we wake them up now?" he asked, gesturing toward the rest of the Clan.

Ripplestar nodded. Then she sucked in a deep breath and let loose a deafening yowl.

The cats scattered around in the clearing, young and old, stirred, and then after a couple flutters of their eyelids, yawned and sat up. When she was sure everyone was awake, Ripplestar began to take role. Every morning, she had to make sure every cat that had fallen asleep the night before was still alive.

"Mapleleaf?" Ripplestar called, wanting to make sure the medicine cat, now the most important cat in the Clan, was there first.

"Here," replied a ginger and white she-cat in the center of the clearing.

Sighing in relief, Ripplestar called out the next name on her mental list. "Weedwhisker?"

"Here," he meowed from beside her, looking exasperated. He was always skeptical about her calling every single name even if she'd already seen the cat that morning.

"Spiritfur?"

"Here," the tom called back without protest.

"Sparrowfeather?"

"Here," mewed the pretty tortoiseshell she-cat.

"Weaselpelt?"

"Here," he grunted, shifting his position every few seconds because of his pads.

"Ringtail?"

"Here." Ripplestar's eyes could not help but be drawn to the she-cat's ribs again.

"Crackedtooth?"

"Here," rasped the elder, revealing several broken teeth.

"Oneear?"

"Here," responded a second elder with a shredded ear.

"Honeyheart?"

Dead silence filled the clearing. Ripplestar drew in a shuddering breath. "Oneear, Weaselpelt, please go bury Honeyheart."

She watched the two cats leave the clearing, dragging a golden-furred body.

Ripplestar continued down the list, her voice a little more choked than before. "Cricketchirp?"

"Here," mewed the queen in a thick voice.

"Pansypetal?"

"Here."

"Hailpaw?"

"Here." Ripplestar felt sorrow envelop her again as she noticed his frightened look; obviously he was thinking about whatever had caused him to whimper in his sleep.

"Duskpaw?"

"Not here," the dark gray she-cat replied cheekily. Crackedtooth shot her a disapproving look.

"Woodpaw?"

"Here." 

"Ocelot?" Ripplestar recited the last name on her list, one that had only been added about a season ago. Ocelot had been a rogue when they found him but had ended up joining ThunderClan after helping them through a barren landscape with little vegetation. When the tom joined, he had refused to change his name to fit Clan customs, so the name Ocelot had stuck.

"Here."

Ripplestar glanced at Oneear and Weaselpelt, who had just returned from the burial. _We lost our third elder, _she thought sadly, but she managed to keep herself from crying in front of her entire Clan. "Alright, today we'll travel as far and fast as we can. Keep an eye on the land; if we find a place that would make a good camp, then we stay."

"But how do we know we're not too far away from RiverClan, ShadowClan, and WindClan?" Pansypetal asked.

A thick lump formed in Ripplestar's throat. "At this point, it doesn't matter how close we are to the other Clans," she meowed quietly. "All that matters is we need to find a home that can support us for the many generations to come.

Duskpaw's mouth hung open in shock. "But…but that means no more Gatherings!"

"And no more medicine cat meetings at the half moon," Mapleleaf fretted.

"StarClan will be angry," Oneear rasped loudly.

"StarClan will not be angry if it is not possible to grant their wishes," Ripplestar yowled above the din.

It took a few moments for the noise die down, and then Ripplestar continued. "Sparrowfeather, Weaselpelt, and Ringtail, you are responsible for training your apprentices as we go. Enlighten them about their surroundings and have them practice their hunting if prey is spotted." The warriors nodded, letting their leader know they'd gotten the message.

Next she turned to Spiritfur and Mapleleaf. "You two will keep an eye out for any signs from StarClan," she instructed. "Everyone else…do anything that you think will help us."

The whole of ThunderClan dipped their heads in understanding. It was the same set of instructions she gave them every day.

Ripplestar let loose a mighty yowl and then darted to the front of the Clan, Weedwhisker at her side. Then she set a steady pace for the others to follow, telling Mapleleaf to stand between Cricketchirp and Weaselpelt in case their fever or pads worsened.

Ripplestar felt wary and fatigued. Why had the flood happened? What had the four Clans done to deserve this? It was all too possible that ThunderClan would be completely wiped out. She swiveled her head toward the horizon, looking for any small ray of hope, but no light was revealed against the dark dawn sky.


	14. Chapter 12

**-12-**

The moon shone brightly overhead like a glowing orb, not quite full. Cheetahsky crept slowly and silently through the brush, cursing as brambles and burrs snagged in his fur and whiskers. _This is for the good of my Clan, _he reassured himself, lessening the pain a bit. They needed him, so he wasn't going to let them down. In a few more pawsteps, he'd be out of the tangle of thorns and back into the open, and then he could go gather the catnip Treetrunk so desperately needed. However, much to his dismay, about a mouse-length ahead of him, the pathway through the brambles narrowed noticeably. There was no way he could fit through it.

Cheetahsky despondently began backing out of the tunnel in the thorns. "I should really get an apprentice; they can fit through tighter places," he muttered as his tail felt around for obstacles behind him. Yes, he would have to ask Shreddedstar if he could train one of Tinfur's kits; they were about six moons old now. When he got back to the camp, he'd ask ShadowClan's leader right away if they could hold the apprentice ceremony. Then maybe, just maybe, Treetrunk's life could be saved from greencough.

Cheetahsky breathed a sigh of relief as he finally found himself out of the brambles. He picked a few burrs out of his fur with his teeth before dashing back toward ShadowClan's temporary camp. The wind whipped through his fur, feeling refreshing and unpleasant at the same time. He was panting now, but he was just about there. A patch of reeds was flattened as he padded swiftly into the camp.

His paws immediately carried him over to a pale gray tom covered in scars. The tom turned at the sound of Cheetahsky's arrival, worry covering his face.

"Did you get the catnip?" the gray cat asked nervously, glancing over his shoulder to where Stripedpelt, a white tom with brown stripes, was anxiously watching a writhing ball of matted brown fur.

Still out of breath, Cheetahsky shook his head. When he caught his breath, he meowed "Shreddedstar, Tinfur's kits are six moons old. If you have the apprentice ceremony quickly, then…" Shreddedstar didn't need to hear any more. He bounded up onto a rough, black-speckled boulder and yowled for Tinfur. A silver queen padded up, her two remaining kits prancing after her.

"Bring one of them up here, quickly! Just…just choose one!" Shreddedstar hissed desperately as Tinfur pondered which one to take. She grabbed the dusky brown kit by her tail and deposited it beside her leader.

"This kit is now an apprentice named…" Cheetahsky bit his lip. Treetrunk shouldn't have to wait this long, but now Shreddedstar couldn't remember the kit's name. The ShadowClan leader turned frantically to Tinfur for help.

"Her name's Lynxkit," the silver she-cat hissed.

"Lynxpaw!" Shreddedstar declared, finishing his sentence. "Your mentor will be Cheetahsky." Cheetahsky ran forward to quickly touch noses with his new apprentice, but this was all wasting time! "Follow me!" the medicine cat hissed before bounding back in the direction of the bramble patch, hoping Lynxpaw could keep up.

It took Cheetahsky a matter of minutes to reach the brambles again. He sat down, ready to wait for his new apprentice, but was surprised to see that she had only been a few tail-lengths behind him. He felt a pang of guilt as he realized what a great warrior she would have made. This young kit hadn't even gotten to decide her future; she'd just been pushed onto a path all of a sudden, not having time to ponder which one to take. But right now, Treetrunk needed help.

"Lynxpaw, go through the tunnel in the brambles right there. On the other side, you'll come to a clearing full of green plants with irresistible scents and tastes. Fill your mouth with it, but don't chew, and then come back to the camp with me as fast as you can. Got it?"

Lynxpaw nodded, and apparently seeing the urgency in the situation, scrambled into the tunnel her mentor had indicated.

The only thing Cheetahsky could do now was wait. Time ticked by, and the tom could feel his heart counting it, beating every second. Every second seemed to stretch, making Cheetahsky feel like his heart was only pounding against his chest once per minute rather than second when in reality it was thumping faster than a frightened mouse's pawsteps. The medicine cat almost felt like giving up any hope, but then a small brown shape darted gap in the brambles, kicking up clouds of dust as it sped in the direction of the makeshift camp. Cheetahsky rushed after Lynxpaw, sneezing as dust found its way up his nose.

Upon arriving back at the camp, Cheetahsky quickly padded over to his apprentice and she dropped the catnip at his paws. Without a moment to spare, Cheetahsky picked up a clump of the soft leaves in his teeth. "Open her mouth," he instructed around the herbs. Lynxpaw quickly pried open Treetrunk's jaws, stepping back as Cheetahsky bit down on the catnip, letting the drops of juice drip into Treetrunk's open mouth.

Cheetahsky stepped back, letting the now dry herbs drop to the ground. Stripedpelt eyed the brown she-cat worriedly. "Will she make it?" the tom asked.

"I think so," Cheetahsky replied, relieved. "If she gets some rest, then she'll probably survive."

Lynxpaw looked up at her mentor. "Should we give her some poppy seeds to help dull the pain?"

Cheetahsky looked at her oddly, bewildered for a moment. "How did you know that poppy seeds dull pain?" This was weird; he hadn't taught her anything yet.

Lynxpaw bristled a little. "M-my mother told me," she stammered.

Cheetahsky held her gaze for another moment before glancing at Treetrunk. The she-cat's breathing was getting slightly less labored. Shreddedstar padded to his medicine cat's side, a purr rumbling in his throat.

"Well done. I knew you could save her," he meowed. "For the time being, take her to your…er, den."

Cheetahsky cringed at Shreddedstar's pause. He didn't like to be reminded that in a couple more days, ShadowClan would have to move on again. The places they'd been staying at for a week at the most didn't have enough prey to support the Clan for any long period of time, and they were poorly sheltered. They had now place they could call home.

_Home. _He hadn't been able to use that word for over twelve moons. Twelve moons was a long time. It reminded him of how old he was getting. He fixed his eyes on Lynxpaw, who was helping Stripedpelt and Shreddedstar drag Treetrunk toward the makeshift medicine cat den as gently as possible. It was probably a good thing that he now had an apprentice, especially since this one seemed to already know a few remedies. Maybe he'd even enjoy her company. But as Cheetahsky looked at the star-sprinkled sky and let memories flash through his mind, he knew ShadowClan had much more to worry about than good company.


	15. Chapter 13

**-13-**

In a flash of ginger fur, Cattail was upon the rabbit, allowing it to protest for only a moment before her milky white teeth sunk into its neck. It went limp in her mouth, and the she-cat let it drop to the ground so that she could look over it. It showed no signs of disease, but it was scrawny. Oh well, it would have to do. Besides, it was better than nothing.

Cattail picked up her catch again and padded in the direction of the setting sun, toward the tall oak tree Dirtpelt and Ambereye had said they'd wait by. They were also on hunting patrol. RiverClan needed as much prey as they could get their paws on, which was hard since they were all used to hunting fish.

It wasn't long before she spotted the two toms, one dark brown and the other gold, leaning against a thick trunk. Nestled between two tree roots were three small mice. Cattail felt her heart sink; this wouldn't be nearly enough to feed the whole Clan.

"You didn't catch any more?" Cattail asked, even though she knew the answer.

The dark brown cat shook his head. "No, this was all Ambereye and I could find."

Depressed, Cattail dropped her rabbit at Dirtpelt's paws. "I didn't have much luck either," she meowed.

Ambereye glanced at their tiny pile and let out a long sigh. "I guess we'll have to take this back and hunt some more."

Cattail nodded reluctantly. She wanted nothing more than a good, long rest, but she knew that it wasn't possible at the moment. So she hefted the rabbit and followed Ambereye and Dirtpelt back towards the area RiverClan had been staying at.

In the center of the clearing stood a slim black she-cat, holding whispered conference with a tom covered in ragged white fur. The she-cat's ears flicked and Cattail blinked as two violet eyes fixed themselves on her and the rest of the hunting patrol.

Dirtpelt stepped forward and deposited the mice on the dusty ground. Cattail quickly dropped her rabbit next to them.

Both cats looked concerned. "Is this it?" the black one asked.

Ambereye nodded, a pained look in his eyes. "Yes, Lithestar. We're sorry, but this is all we found."

Lithestar sniffed the pathetic pile, then sat back on her haunches. "It's not much, but at least it isn't riddled with sickness," she murmured.

"Do you want us to go back out for more?" Dirtpelt meowed.

The white tom shook his head. "Dirtpelt, Ambereye, you've been out on the last two patrols. You deserve a rest. Cattail, you can lead the next patrol. Take Risingsun and Juniperpaw with you."

Cattail dipped her head, acknowledging her deputy's orders. Even though she was weary, she needed to obey Fierceheart and help out in RiverClan's time of need.

It took only a little time for Cattail to find Juniperpaw, Ambereye's apprentice, and Risingsun, a beautiful gold and ginger she-cat. They were curled up at the foot of a pine tree, sleeping next to the majority of RiverClan. Cattail was about to wake them when she noticed how peaceful they looked. It was the most tranquil expression Cattail had seen on any cat's face for a long time.

_I won't disturb them. Fierceheart won't mind if they don't come as long as I catch plenty of prey, _she decided.

Before long, Cattail was trotting through the woodland again. She hadn't seen any prey yet, but she didn't allow herself to be discouraged. It hadn't been long since she'd left the rest of her Clan, so there was still plenty of time to hunt.

Suddenly a shower of pine needles fluttered down from the branch above her. Cattail's head snapped up, searching for whatever creature had caused the sudden movement. She shrank back in agitation as a nut hit her square between her ears. Amused chattering from the branch above followed.

_Must be a squirrel,_ she thought crossly, rubbing the spot where the acorn had struck her with her tail. Once more, she scanned the branch, eying every inch of the area between the thick layers of green needles.

A flash of tawny brown finally came to Cattail's notice and she watched the squirrel's tail disappear behind another clump of needles. Slowly and quietly, she placed her front right paw on the trunk of the tree and sunk her claws into the bark, then did the same with the other paw. Soon all four paws had found a grip.

Still being as silent as possible, Cattail crept up the tree toward the squirrel's perch. The squirrel seemed completely unaware of her approach. It was gnawing contentedly at a nut when she raised a paw and swiped at the unsuspecting creature. It yelped and dashed away, but Cattail was hot on its heels and snapped her jaws closed on its neck.

"About time," she muttered, glancing up at the pink and orange sky. Chasing after the squirrel had taken up most of her time.

Cattail soon found a skinny vole, which she dealt with much quicker than she had with the squirrel. It was over in a flash, the vole never knowing what exactly had hit it. But now Cattail's time was spent. There was only a sliver of sun above the horizon and the moon was rising now. She would have to return to her Clan.

Rain was pouring down now. Cattail trudged through the mud, wondering how RiverClan was going to make a meal out of three mice, a vole, and a rabbit. _I should've just woken Risingsun and Juniperpaw up, _she thought guiltily. The happiness of two cats was less important than the survival of an entire Clan. Lithestar would probably have to punish her now. _Well, I deserve it. I'll just have to accept whatever discipline she gives me. _

As the trees around her began to thin, giving signs that the clearing was near, Cattail began to feel uneasy. The air was too still and quiet. _But, _she reminded herself, _they _would _all be asleep by now. The moon's high enough in the sky, _she reassured herself, letting her breath fall back into an easy tempo.

Cattail slipped through the entrance and nearly yowled in fright at the scene in front of her.

There was her Clan, sleeping beneath the pine trees as she'd left them. Even Lithestar and Fierceheart were there, fast asleep. But what made Cattail's fur stand on end was the two trails of blood that led away from the group of cats and out of the makeshift camp.

Cattail shook uncontrollably. What had happened in her absence? One thing was clear: she would have to follow the trails of blood. She had to find out what had happened. Obviously no other cats had discovered the blood…yet. Still trembling, Cattail forced her paws to move closer to the trails, and then it took all her strength to turn away. Afraid for what she might find at the end, Cattail began to follow the parallel paths.

The blood trails were always side by side, one curving wherever the other one curved. Cattail tried to catch the scents of the cats the blood had belonged to constantly, but whatever scent was left was always overwhelmed by the stench of fear and death.

Something in Cattail's mind told her that the end of the two trails was nearing. She wasn't sure if she wanted to get it over with and just look, or if she just wanted to whirl around and run straight back to camp where she could crouch among the other cats and just go to sleep and forget about the whole thing. But she knew that there was no choice. She needed to see what had happened.

The trails of blood, still wet and shimmering, curved once more and once they straightened out again two crumpled shapes were in view. Cattail felt a sickening jolt as she recognized two mounds of matted, blood-soaked fur: it was Risingsun and Juniperpaw.

Cattail let out a wail of sorrow and anger. Who had killed them? It was obvious they were both dead. Why hadn't she realized they were missing from the throng of sleeping cats? And if she'd taken them with her on patrol like she was supposed to…Cattail's breath caught in her throat as she realized she could've prevented this.

Her grief was interrupted by the sound of cracking twigs. It had to be RiverClan; they must've heard her yowl. Sure enough, a moment later Lithestar came dashing around the bend in the glistening trails, followed by the rest of the Clan. Cattail was about to meow a greeting to her leader when she realized what the scene must look like.

Panic gripped Cattail as Lithestar stood there staring at her, shocked. She was standing over two dead Clanmates, at the end of two trails of fresh blood. _She _had been sent out on hunting patrol with these cats and now here they were, dead. To Lithestar, it looked like Cattail was a murderer.

Lithestar finally seemed to find her voice. "Get her."

Cattail yowled as in a flash of fur Songflower and Dirtpelt were upon her. She started to struggle, but then realized that she was making herself look like she really _had _killed Juniperpaw and Risingsun.

Cattail's heart sank lower and lower as she looked around and saw not a single friendly face in the crowd. Only angry faces were around her, looming out at her menacingly.

Lithestar was enraged. Her eyes burned into Cattail's with such intense hatred that Cattail almost cried out in pain.

"This cat," Lithestar meowed, her voice shaking in her fury, "has broken the warrior code. This cat has betrayed us all." Cattail shrank back. She had never seen Lithestar this angry.

But Lithestar hadn't finished. "Because of this, I sentence her to exile."

The words sank into Cattail like needle-sharp claws and teeth. "No…" she whispered, her body quaking. This had to be a nightmare. A cruel, haunting nightmare. But Cattail knew it wasn't. She was wide awake and all of what Lithestar said was now true.

"Enjoy life as a rogue," Lithestar spat, and Dirtpelt and Songflower picked up Cattail in their teeth, ignoring her protests and pleading. Then in one swift motion, they flung her into a patch of brambles.

Despite the pain in every part of her, Cattail tried to fight through the brambles and back to RiverClan. She could no longer call it her Clan. But thorns snagged in her fur, and she yowled desperately as the cats of RiverClan turned their backs on her and ran back towards their camp, leaving Cattail truly and utterly alone.


End file.
